Anyone can learn to play the piano. It’s a matter of developing proper practice habits and starting with the right songs. While it may be tempting to plunge straight into your favorite piano songs, it’s best to start with easy piano songs for beginners.
Easy piano songs give you the opportunity to carefully develop your piano skills at a sustainable pace. You can choose songs that allow you to focus on a certain technique. After mastering that technique you can then move on to another. This is an excellent way to gradually increase your playing ability. Don’t worry, those Chopin Ballades will still be there when you are ready for them.
Popular Easy Piano Songs
Learning to play different genres and styles will strengthen different skills. That’s good news for pianists who want to play something other than classical music. Pop/rock music is great for learning to count more complex rhythms. Try some of these titles:
- “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen – This timeless classic has a slow, stately pace and an easy chord structure that allows you to focus on delivering an accurate melodic line.
- “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Freddie Mercury – You will enjoy the many different sections of this song that allow for a variety of playing styles.
- “Love Story” by Taylor Swift – Swifties and non-Swifties alike can learn a lot by mastering the opening eighth-note pattern.
- “Fly Me to the Moon” by Bart Howard – An oldie but goodie, this song is a great introduction to syncopation.
Broadway Easy Piano Songs
One of the great joys of playing easy piano songs for beginners from the Great White Way is that you can sing along. Who doesn’t love belting out a ballad or riffing through a pattern song? There are many Broadway songs that can advance your piano skills, such as:
- “Beauty and the Beast” by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken – Sing and play this “tale as old as time” and you may find that you have strengthened the independence between your hands.
- “A Whole New World” by Alan Menken and Tim Rice – This is another great song for counting those syncopations.
- “Edelweiss” by Rodgers and Hammerstein – From the ever-popular movie “The Sound of Music,” you can learn how to balance the dynamics between the hands here.
Classical Easy Piano Songs
Don’t overlook this category, especially if you think you won’t like it. Classical music has been around for hundreds of years precisely because it’s so appealing and fun to play. This genre is ideal for developing finger dexterity and legato phrasing skills. Some popular choices include:
- “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” by Johann Sebastian Bach – This is a good option for strengthening your right hand.
- “Canon in D” by Johann Pachelbel – The eighth note patterns in this piece are excellent finger exercises.
- “Ave Maria” by Franz Schubert – Improve the legato touch of your right hand with this Schubert classic.
These are just a few ideas to get you started. Search other styles as well, such as gospel, country, or film scores. There are countless easy piano songs for beginners available for you to learn and play.
